U.S. intelligence agencies reported that Tren de Aragua gang members in the states do not appear to be controlled by the Venezuelan government and President Nicolas Maduro, though the FBI believes Venezuelan officials "use members as proxies" in the U.S., according to a partially declassified report.
A secret April 7 National Intelligence Council assessment concluded Maduro's regime is probably not directing the Venezuelan gang’s activities in the U.S., The New York Times reported.
"While Venezuela’s permissive environment enables TDA to operate, the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States," the memo said, according to the Times.
Overall, the memo, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, failed to strengthen President Donald Trump’s rationale for using the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal migrants associated with Tren de Aragua.
The six-page assessment, which represents the views of all 18 U.S. spy agencies, said most analysts deem "not credible" intelligence suggesting that Venezuelan regime leaders are directing or enabling gang migration to the U.S., The Washington Post reported.
However, the Post said the FBI does believe some Venezuelan government officials help facilitate Tren de Aragua members’ entry into the U.S.
The memo said the FBI believes Venezuelan officials "use members as proxies" in the U.S. and elsewhere "to advance what they see as the Maduro regime's goal of destabilizing governments and undermining public safety in these countries," Axios reported.
The document concluded that Maduro and his allies tolerate the gang's activities within Venezuela but the gang is a potential threat to the country’s stability and their hold on power.
"Venezuelan intelligence, military, and police services view the gang as a security threat and operate against it in ways that make it highly unlikely the two sides would cooperate in a strategic or consistent way," the memo said, accoridng to the Post.
The gang is among eight drug cartels the Trump administration has designated as global terrorist organizations.
In its announcement of the designation, the White House said the cartels "functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force nearly all illegal traffic" across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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